Reacher is one of Amazon Prime’s best shows in great part because of Alan Ritchson’s commitment to his titular role. He cares deeply about his character, stays in remarkable shape to play him, and is involved in a lot of the intense action sequences. However, that takes a toll, as the actor explained just how hard it is to be thrown through walls over and over again.
With Reacher Season 3 premiering on the 2025 TV schedule on February 20, interest in the action-packed series and how they film it is ticking back up. Thankfully, Alan Ritchson knows how to keep it real, and divulged some details about just how difficult these scenes can be to film, telling IGN Brazil:
If there’s a shot that we take where I get thrown through a table or through a wall or something, I mean I’m doing a lot of that. And, you know, you don’t just do it once. Sometimes, you gotta do it like 8, 12, 15 times. And each time you do it you’re like ‘Oh, I think I just broke a rib.' ‘Oh my god, my spine is broken.’ Then you gotta do it one more time, and you're like ‘oof.’
Well, that sounds miserable. As someone who definitely couldn’t even take one punch, I can’t imagine how hard it is to be thrown into a wall over eight times. And I have nothing but respect for Ritchson and the stunt team on Reacher for putting in the difficult work and hits to make this show.
The actor went on to say that they do this and risk injury and exhaustion because it looks so good on screen and it makes the show better. Ritchson said:
You know, at the end of the day, you do it hoping that the audience has a really, really fun time watching this and that they get their money's worth when they show up.
Thankfully, for both them and viewers, it is worth it. Jack Reacher is such a force, and Reacher is an epic show thanks to its action.
On top of the action, Alan Ritchson pushes himself through grueling workouts, and he stays under 10% body fat. The actor puts in the work for this role and truly dedicates himself to the character, story and action.
This commitment is giving Tom Cruise energy. The actor famously does a lot of his own stunts, loves it, and has been injured because of it. Cruise broke his foot filming Mission: Impossible 2 and broke his ankle on Fallout’s production. However, he’s very determined to pull these sequences off, and they look amazing in the movies.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope these guys stay as safe as they possibly can and don't get injured preferably ever. However, these stories show how committed they are to their craft and how willing they are to dive into the action. It might not be glamorous on set, but it sure is cool on screen, and I salute Ritchson and any actors and stunt people who get thrown through walls for the art.
Hopefully, Alan Ritchson had a slightly easier time filming Reacher this time around. However, I also know we’re in for some epic sequences, considering we know he’s going to fight Paulie in the upcoming season…So, I hope he was prepared, and I hope we’re all prepared for the action we’ll get to see.
If there’s a moral to this story, it’s that when you tune in to watch Reacher with your Amazon Prime subscription, make sure to take a moment to appreciate the action. Alan Ritchson has been thrown into a lot of walls for us, and he deserves his flowers for the amount of work (and probably bruises) that goes into making this series.
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